Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. (Definitons.net).

What determines the nature of our lived reality? It is determined by our experiences, our direct observations. Yet for the most part, we go through life with no awareness of how or why we filter our experiences, accepting some of our perceptions as valid—within the boundaries of reality—while dismissing others as illusionary.

Whether or not we realize this, our experience of the world—and, thus, our behavior—is strongly influenced by our perspective on consciousness. Our view of consciousness can either connect us or separate us from a particular experience—either open us up to or cut us off from an expanded reality.

You may be wondering, how would I even know what my view of consciousness is? Here is a little gauge: consider that, checking your emails in a coffee shop, you overhear an account of a near-death experience from the next table. A young man is talking about traveling down a dark tunnel, seeing a brilliant light, experiencing unearthly joy . . . What is your inner reaction likely to be? Would you be skeptical? Incredulous? Or would you entertain the possibility that his account is correct? In other words, is your current view of consciousness large enough to allow for subtle, psychic, or anomalous experiences? Or does it discount them automatically? I like to call this the “eye-rolling” barometer. What conversational topic brings you to the “eye-rolling”  threshold, when you over hear it?  Is the door to your mind closed or open? This translates as: “Am I curious? Or is my mind closed and thus do I dismiss the reality of a phenomenon before exploring it?” Though I have shown this as either – or, “my mind is closed or wide open,” it is much more like a continuum; some things we are closed to, others open to, and others partially open to.

Now, let’s take a look at three perspectives on consciousness and consider how open we are to these perspectives and whether they could affect our view of reality and thus our willingness to accept the experiences of others.

 

Medical Model of Consciousness: A Materialistic Worldview

The first is the medical model of consciousness, (the middle column of the figure, above): it is a limited model that differentiates normal (e.g., deep sleep, dreaming and, the awake/alert state) from abnormal states of consciousness, like coma.

This is the model of consciousness I was taught as a neuroscience graduate student. Within the materialist framework in which I was trained, this medical model was adequate to explain the only states of consciousness I was aware of. According to this model, there is no reality other than the physical universe, and this means that our mind and conscious awareness are considered a product of the activity of our brain.

There is some evidence to support this material view. Studies have identified that in the waking state there are “default” neural networks that are activated when our mind wanders and other networks activated when we are problem solving. Distinctly different networks are activated during dreaming and sleep. This model is also useful in the diagnosis of a variety of physical disorders, such as stroke or coma. It does not, however, acknowledge the possible reality of a near-death experience (NDE), which is outside this model and is dismissed as the result of pathology within the brain.

 

Expanded Models of Consciousness

The states of consciousness described in many NDEs include a sense of connection with all things, a boundless sense of joy, and a sense of being bonded to a consciousness greater than one’s own. The qualities of an NDE experience are surprisingly close to those of the deepest states of meditation. In my experiences of meditation, as a neuroscientist, I was mystified by the new levels of consciousness that became accessible to me: feelings that seemed ineffable, experiences of light, and an expansion of awareness beyond the body.

Studying this phenomena, I found it interesting that the perceptions that come in NDEs during cardiac arrest are accompanied by an EEG that is flat-lined, indicating brain activity is minimal if present at all. Similar expanded states of consciousness are experienced in meditation, suggesting that NDEs and meditative states are tapping into a common level of consciousness. This has led researchers to ask if there are levels of consciousness within a normal individual that go beyond the state defined as “awake and alert?” Laboratory studies on meditators and first-person descriptions of their experiences in meditation suggest that there are.

These additional levels of awareness have been described in a variety of ways: as one-pointed focus on an object such as the breath or as states of open presence or loving-kindness. In one study that compared advanced meditators practicing thought-free meditation, it was found that EEG activity at most frequencies and in most of the cortex was reduced, when compared to other states, moving toward the flat-lined EEG seen during NDEs.

This leads me to propose a model (top-right columns of the figure above), that includes a number of higher levels of consciousness beyond those of the default mode of awareness. I include the lowest level, 1) the default mode, with uncontrolled thoughts; 2) a higher level of mindfulness, with focused meditation, on the breath, or loving-kindness; 3) a state in which the mind is silent, and one is simply aware; and finally 4) a state of non-local unitary consciousness, in which there is a sense of connection with all things, accompanied by an experience of light and joy.